A data leak is the release of sensitive information into the hands of unauthorized parties. Whether from misconfigured cloud storage or unsecured file sharing, a breached set of personal information or intellectual property can damage trust, customer loyalty, brand reputation and revenue. It can also facilitate criminal activities such as ID theft, phishing, and ransomware.
Data leaks can come from outside the organization, but are often the result of mismanagement or neglect. Employees are a major source of risk, including those who lose USB drives with important data in public places or print private documents at home or on a work printer. In addition, third-party vendors, such as software and cloud solutions providers, can be a significant source of vulnerability. A 2021 UpGuard study found that half of Fortune 500 companies were leaking information that was useful for cybercriminal reconnaissance and that many of the leaked records included confidential business information and PII.
Other sources of leaks include disgruntled former employees and malicious insiders who want to profit from the company’s information, gain revenge on their employers or hurt the firm’s future business plans. Lastly, a failure to update and implement security updates can leave data exposed to hackers and bots.
Detecting these risks early can help mitigate the impact of data leaks. However, it is important to balance this against the effect of adding anti-leak measures that can decrease morale or cause developers frustration. For example, limiting access to code and product means that some team members won’t be able to view everything they work on, which could potentially decrease productivity and morale.